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Why Jimmy Carter wasn’t a failure

President Jimmy Carter’s close aide and former domestic policy chief, Stuart Eizenstat, brings new perspective to the Carter presidency and legacy on “Salon Talks.” Carter’s defeat by Ronald Reagan in 1980 and the Iran hostage crisis often overshadow Carter’s legacy of significant accomplishments — both in domestic policy and foreign policy — that make him stand out as one of the premiere leaders of modern American history.

"I'm trying to bring back the full range of the Carter presidency and take it away from just that perception, 'Okay, he lost the election. Let's go onto somebody else. He couldn't have been a success," Eizenstat told Salon. With his new book "President Carter: The White House Years", Eizenstat attempts to shed light on the many achievements of the man who led America from 1977 to 1981. As a pragmatic humanitarian, Carter was able to make America and the world a more peaceful and more stable place than it was before he took office, and racked up significant legislative achievements that rival those of any modern democratic leader.

Watch the video above to learn more about the challenges Carter faced in office, including the Iran hostage crisis, and why he chose to take unpopular actions. Tune in for SalonTV's live shows, "Salon Talks" and "Salon Stage", daily at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT and 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT, streaming live on Salon, Facebook and Periscope.